DE HAVILLAND SEA VENOM F.A.W. MK 53 WZ898
C/N 12755

 

 

 

 

 


51
Ordered on behalf of the Royal Australian Navy by the British Air Ministry as part of order for 39 Sea Venoms under contract 6/Aircraft/7561/CB 7(a).
08FEB55
Completed at the de Havilland Aircraft Company Ltd., Christchurch.
10FEB55
Delivered to the Royal Navy at RNAS Yeovilton.
23NOV55
Taken on charge by No 808 Sqn. RAN. and used until
27FEB56
by No 808 Sqn for crew training and work ups with Royal Navy Squadron 891 X Flight.
MAR56
Cocooned for transport and embarked in HMAS Melbourne at Glasgow Docks.
09MAY56
Arrived at Garden Island Dockyard, Sydney.
17MAY56
Transported to HMAS Nirimba, Schofields.
31JAN57
Transported to Hawker de Havillands, Bankstown for fitment of ejection seats and modifications required for RAN service.
31OCT57
Flown to RANAS Nowra and taken on charge by No 808 Sqn.
31MAR58
Transferred to No 805 Sqn.
MAY58
Attached to No 724 Sqn.
NOV60
Attached to No 724 Sqn.
62
Attached to No 805 Sqn in HMAS Melbourne. WZ898 took part in exercises with RAF fighter squadrons at RAF Tengah, Singapore.
30JUN63
Transferred to VC-724.
25JUL69
Retired from service. Subsequently transferred to HMAS Nirimba for apprentice training as Instructional Airframe/Engine Class 3.
21SEP70
Noted at HMAS Nirimba, Schofields, NSW in use as a ground instruction aircraft coded 874/NW. Also present was Sea Venom WZ937 coded 862/M.
DEC72
Reported at Nirimba coded 747/NW. (This report is suspect!)
APR74
Reported at Nirimba coded 874/NW.
APR74
Used as spares support for WZ937 (747/M) {or 747/NW?}. The following components were transferred from 898 to 937 and u/s items refitted to 898.

Both tailbooms   Radome access doors
All engine access panels Canopy
Stbd landing gear Port flap
MLG flipper doors      Wheels and tyres
Hydraulic hand pump Canopy seal
Both tip tanks Battery mounting beam
Gun bay doors   Ground power socket
77
Declared surplus to requirements by HMAS Nirimba, dismantled and transported by road to Nowra where it was placed in the aircraft dump disassembled.
25SEP79
Purchased by QAM from Dept. of Administrative Services for $200.00. Aircraft was purchased primarily for its Ghost engine which was to be fitted to WZ910 but on inspection it was found that the airframe of WZ898 was in many respects superior to that of WZ910.
28OCT79
Arrived at Nudgee by road from Nowra.
09APR80
Moved to Brisbane Airport. Fitted with the tailbooms from WZ910 as one of the booms received with WZ898 was partially de‑skinned. The other boom is marked WZ937 and coded 874/NW. When received by QAM, WZ898 was coded 862 on the main undercarriage door. Although there was a considerable interchange of parts between WZ898 & WZ937, the fuselage of the QAM a/c is clearly that of WZ898 as this is stencilled in several places in the cockpit.
13JUN86
Transported to Caloundra.
DEC86
Completion of painting by Wal Waterton. Carries colours of VF-805 Sqn.
JUN88
Fitted with rocket rails and fitting out of cockpit started.

 



 


ISSUE
DATE
1
02JAN02